Azure Paler Than The Sky
by Popkat
Summary: A story that shows the bond Juri and Ruka once shared and how Ruka destroyed it to grant her the power of miracles. Mild sexual content.


"Juri, it'll be all right," Ruka reassured, but Juri wasn't at all convinced. She tightened her grip on her foil's handle, giving his Captain a look that practically screamed: _are you mad_? That earned her a sigh from Ruka. "So critical. It's foolproof. Trust me. Here, I'll show you. Resume your former stance," Ruka ordered. Stance resumed, but the skeptical look on her face was still intact.

He told her to pull every offensive maneuver he taught her and he would be able to block all of it. Considering she received a lesson on how to pull off a swift, powerful thrust attack, she doubted it, but she liked him enough to humor him.

She was surprised when she executed said maneuver, Ruka's counter attack sent her foil flying in the air.

"How did you--?" she asked, still in shock. She didn't even notice that the foil almost hit Ruka when it landed down. Ruka smirked at her, which made Juri scoff. He had the sweet satisfaction of proving his top student wrong, who could blame him?

"I told you, it's foolproof."

* * *

As the tip of her sword landed on her classmate's chest, it was met by the other students' clapping. When the clapping ceased, the acting Captain took off her mask, revealing her long, curly hair.

"You," Juri Arisugawa began, rudely pointing her foil at her clumsy club member. "Straighten your back. You're wide open. And remember that breathing technique I taught you!" The girl shouted a quick, "y-yes m'am!" and ran off to join her friends in a corner.

She signaled Miki—that enthusiastic little boy that Juri was quite fond of—to take her place because she was going to take a much needed rest. Miki stood up, clicked his stopwatch (a mannerism Juri found strange but she'd rather not ask), put on his mask and began to fence.

Juri unbuttoned her collar and sat on a particular chair next to a particular table that once had a particular flower vase resting on top of it. Ruka quickly joined her, sitting on said particular table. He sat there, waiting for her to make a light conversation topic. He didn't get one. Seeing that she had her sharp, green eyes watching her club members' performance, he should've expected it.

"That was a little harsh," Ruka said in an inappropriately monotonous voice. Juri shrugged. "You found out where she went wrong, but still. Harsh."

"I don't have a reason to treat her sweetly, do I?"

"You don't have a reason to treat her coldly as well," he pointed out.

"I'd rather come off as a respectable leader." Scoff.

"What? And I'm suddenly not respectable?"

"In all honesty—"

"You don't treat me coldly."

"You're different."

"How so?"

"I respect you." She also trusted him, but she'll never tell him that.

"I treat you differently, too. You're my favorite student," Ruka smiled at her. She couldn't come up with a witty comeback, so she just shrugged again. Annoyed that he killed the conversation seconds after it just started, he said: "Anyway, there's a reason why I'm having you act as a Captain today." Juri turned her attention (or at least her face) at Ruka's direction. It was a feat, Ruka thought.

"And that would be? I assumed you were going away," she guessed. Ruka chuckled. He was amused at how sharp she was.

"Yeah. Something like that."

"Tell me."

Ruka purposely killed the conversation. Seeing that she wasn't the type to pry, she turned her attention back to her club members again. Ruka tilted his head, trying to get a good glance of that golden necklace Juri seemed to be wearing. He raised his head a bit and saw that it wasn't just a necklace; it was a locket.

_Oh_. Ruka grinned. He knew exactly what was inside. Juri wasn't that hard to read.

Upon noticing her Captain's weird look (a look she can only consider as perverted), she quickly buttoned her collar and glared at him. "_What_?" she snapped. Ruka chuckled. "I couldn't help but notice you're wearing jewelry. I thought you were a Little Miss Tomboy?"

"Don't call me that."

"I'm guessing a guy gave that to you?"

"Don't be silly!"

"_Oh_, denial? Is my dear Arisugawa growing up and falling in love?"

"How mature, _Captain_. Yes, thank you for not prying into my private life. You're so considerate like that."

"Fine, I'll stop. No need to be snide. Besides, I'm sure you're too in love with your fencing club captain to think about other people."

Juri flashed him a disgusted look and quickly ignored him.

* * *

The sun painted the sky a magnificent orange that afternoon. In a hidden hallway in Ohtori Academy came two, gossiping shadows.

"Do you know? Do you know? Have you heard the news?"

"Ah!" a pigtailed shadow yelled, dramatically posing. "I have a secret! I can't honestly tell anybody!"

"What, what? A secret?" a nosy ponytailed shadow asked, leaning forward, hoping the pigtailed shadow would tell her her secret. The pigtailed shadow nodded. "Yes, a secret! I can't tell or else my life would be _over_!"

This piqued the ponytailed shadow's interest more. "Oh! Tell me!"

"I already told you I can't tell you!" the pigtailed shadow yelled, adamant. The ponytailed shadow placed her hands on her hips. "Then why are you shouting it to the heavens?"

"I...! Don't know, actually. Ah," the pigtailed shadow turned around, ready to leave. "My life is over if anyone finds out!" Then, she makes her exit.

The ponytailed shadow snickered, raising a bowl of ramen. "Ha, I know her secret! She likes eating five bowls of garlic ramen everyday!"

The shadows began twirling around, as if to signal the end of their performance. On the side of the room, there stood a sign saying: "NEXT PERFORMANCE: A LITTLE BOY'S FUNERAL"

* * *

The hospital door violently opened. Ruka leaned against the wall and prepared for the lecturing he was going to get. A certain redhead went inside and quickly sat on the chair next to her Captain's bed. She placed her bag down; it landed with a distinguishable _thump_ and flopped down on its side. She glared at him, her cheeks reddening from anger. She had a million things to say to him but she fell silent. She had no idea what to lecture him on first.

"Look, I—"

"Reckless! Absolutely... reckless! You didn't tell me you had a Cardiac disease! What on earth have you been thinking! Did you want to _die_ from a heart attack!"

"I know, Juri. I should've told you earlier," Ruka said, his expression uncharacteristically blank. Juri took a deep breath (several, actually) and regained her composure.

"If you knew, then why didn't you just leave the club to me?"

"I like fencing."

"More than your own life?"

"Perhaps," Ruka said in a low, sing song voice. She wanted to slap him but thought better of it.

"Idiot. Were you aware of how stupid you sounded?"

"It's not stupid to like something more than your own life, Juri. I thought you're the type to agree."

"What made you think that? ...I'm not like you, if that's the type of person you are," Juri said in a careful tone. She thought he would be offended, but she was surprised he just chuckled. Long silences were common between them, but the one that befell them at that moment was strikingly awkward.

"I love a girl in the fencing club, actually," Ruka admitted. If Juri was the type that took a hint, he probably wouldn't have said it.

"Really?"

"Yes. I didn't want to leave her yet. Hopefully, she would've improved by the time I get back."

Juri was going to contradict him. She was going to tell him that people change eventually... but she didn't want to argue with a dying man, so instead, she nodded. She reached out to touch his hand. There was a forced, understanding smile on her face.

"...Believe in miracles and they will know your feelings."

* * *

As Juri retracted, for once, the crowd's applause was ignored. "I thought you'd have improved while I was gone, but I guess I got my hopes up too high," he commented, and instantly, her suspicions were confirmed.

"I thought it was you, Captain."

* * *

Students of Ohtori Academy couldn't resist watching people make a spectacle of themselves, so when they found Shiori Takatsuki helplessly tugging on Ruka Tsuchiya's hand, everyone from every school level, gender and school status gathered around to watch the humiliating scene.

"Ruka, please! Wait! You're all I ever loved! ...You're all that I have now!" Shiori begged. Her cries fell on deaf ears.

"Would you please let go of me?" Ruka replied, his voice as cold as it could get. It scared Shiori, but she still wouldn't let go.

"I don't know what I'll do without you! So please... please believe me!"

"What should I believe?"

"What?" Shiori looked at him, shaking. She didn't expect he would listen, so she began to stutter.

"What do you want me to believe?"

"That I love you more than... I love you more than anyone else!" Shiori's composure began to falter. Ruka swiftly took back his hand and turned around without looking back.

"Ruka! Ruka!"

Everyone pitied her. Her yelling was for naught. And the worse part was that Juri...

Juri won.

* * *

"You son of a... who do you think you are!"

Ruka glanced back, facing the seething girl behind him. "You don't control me," he declared. He ended up angering her even more.

"What gives you the right to hurt her!"

"You don't need to know."

"My God, what a bastard you've become!"

"And what about you! Presuming to order others around!"

Juri couldn't recall a time her anger took over her to the point where she lost her self-control, but it happened, and she couldn't believe the one that provoked her was the very man that she used to confine to. She threw a couple of punches at his direction and he blocked both of them, much to her dismay. She gasped, giving him a glare that would've scared most people... and yet, he was looking into her eyes, unafraid, smiling. He was mocking her and she hated it.

"I have another proposal," the object of her contempt said, pushing her against the wall and holding both of her arms down. She squirmed; she wanted to release herself from his grasp but he had none of it. "I was thinking I'd like to go out with you now," the little son of a bitch said.

"When hell freezes over!"

"You love your fencing club's captain, don't you?"

"Oh, get real! You've insulted me enough!"

"_Stop resisting_," he coaxed. He finally released both of her arms and kissed her before she had the chance to say anything.

At that moment, Juri couldn't quite place what she was feeling. She felt offended he did something like this. She felt betrayed that a man she once looked up to was doing this to her. All she knew that moment was that she hated him. Any respect she had for him was gone.

And when she finally released herself from his kiss, thinking she was free, he took her locket. The bastard took her locket, and he almost destroyed it.

It was her locket. How dare he touch what was hers with his dirty hands?

"Wait. I challenge you to a duel."

* * *

"Ruka, you're the only one I love."

Juri threw her head back, trying her best to ignore the blasted tape recording playing on a loop.

"Ruka, you're the only one I love."

Threateningly, she asked him, "do you really enjoy torturing her as much as you seem to?" Ruka didn't reply. Instead, he planted another kiss on her lips. Juri happily returned the kiss by biting on his lower lip. Hard. Ruka just pulled away, his expression almost as cold as her's.

"Ruka, you're the only one I love."

"To work miracles, you need a sacrifice," he whispered to her ear, making her squirm underneath him. She attempted to knee his stomach, but he avoided the attack.

"Ruka, you're the only one I love."

"You coward!" she yelled. "You want this miracle power so badly!"

"Ruka, you're—"

"You're the one who yearns for miracles!" Ruka yelled back.

"—the only one—"

"Shiori isn't a tool for you to use!" she declared, taking a deep breath after.

"—I love."

Juri avoided his gaze and stared at the side of the backseat instead. Ruka ran a hand across her thin stomach and up her chest. He stopped when his fingers touched her golden locket. He caressed the lid with his thumb.

"..."Believe in miracles and they will know your feelings." Weren't those your words?" Ruka confirmed. Juri finally looked at him again.

"Ruka, you're—"

Juri kicked the blasted radio. The tape plopped down on the car floor.

"You seem to misunderstand something. I don't need my feelings to be known... And even if I gain the power to work miracles, all I desire is to release you from her. That's all. _I won't let you keep doing this_," she hissed, the venom practically oozing from her voice.

"It's decided, then."

He caressed her bare thigh, making her shiver. "Spread your legs," he told her. She hesitantly obeyed. She closed her eyes and braced herself for what he was about to do. Something inside her was clinging to his words, because she wanted everything to be all right.

* * *

Staggering, she finally came to a stop and removed the rose from her bosom. Ruka stood behind her, repeating those choice words that he knew usually reassured her after a little while.

"Juri, it'll be all right."

* * *

Those words were familiar and comforting, even if they were originally said by a lying, conniving bastard like Ruka, Juri decided. She eyed a particular chair that used to face away from her's. This time, it was turned to her direction.

"Strange," she said to no one in particular. Its position made her uncomfortable, so she slanted her's to face it away from that particular chair. Now, it was facing the direction where Ruka's chair was supposed to be. She thought it looked better that way.

"..."It'll be all right", huh?"

**END**

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**A/N:** This was written around 3AM. Because the author was thinking about car sex. Yep.**  
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